10 Questions with Taweechob Pinthong

Al-Tiba9 Art Magazine ISSUE11 | Featured Artist

Taweechob was born in Bangkok in 2002. When Taweechob first started learning and studying art and design, he would be the first to arrive in class every day and the last to leave. He needed to practice and work harder than anybody else because he was the slow-learning person in the class. The teacher told him to stay up late because he was below average. When asked about what it was like for him in the morning, he said: "I get up before the sun comes up, and I draw all day". He has so much passion and insatiable curiosity. Taweechob found beauty in imperfection and disorder; he sought not to renovate but to elevate the everyday experience. In his short career, Taweechob has made about 2600 artworks, including illustrations, drawings, screen prints, ads, and photography. Taweechob's works are chiefly digital. First, he will create a sketch to work out his compositions and figures before transferring the completed idea onto the tablet. In some ways, it leaves welcome room for mistakes and experimentation. The facial expressions give off the idea that they probably aren't enjoying themselves. "I have this unstoppable need to keep making, no matter what their inner voices or actual voices tell me," he says.

@taweechob.design

ARTIST STATEMENT

Taweechob is an illustration artist and designer. His illustration translates the unwavering love you feel for all living things without question, that you extend knowingly without expectations for anything in return.  His style and technique are very dynamic because he is still in the process of experimenting. His body of work based on philosophy seeks to understand fundamental truths, the world in which we live, and the relationships to the world and each other. His recent work is 3D art, and he also came up with the theme of surrealism illustrations, which he uses to blend pop elements across cultures. He wishes that most of his creative work can discover questions that have never been asked. His ultimate goal is to continue producing great work and to share stories that can add some meaning to life and ignite humankind.

Don't grow up 

"If you stay a child at heart, you're more creative. Keeping your imagination about you is something that many people grow out of in their early teens when they start to get a concept of reality. I believe you don't have to sacrifice your imagination and creativity for the real world. Escape the real world. I was a child at heart and kept my imagination on the table". Taweechob has made way for a beautiful abundance of tiny details and textures, and he continues to produce new drawings that impress us with their sharp, assertive linework and clean, powerful shapes. We should never grow up.

He believes being a child prodigy is qualitatively different from the 'skill' of being an adult creative genius. Remember, it's not what you do but how you do it that matters.

INTERVIEW

As stated in your biography, you are very young yet have already produced numerous works. How did you get involved with art, and what influenced you to follow this path? 

It started when I was a kid. I just loved drawing: When I received a math sheet that had only black and white colors, I would always color it to make it more fascinating.
I have a pure soul that is capable of striving hard on a daily basis, and most importantly, I love what I do, and those actions shape my path along the way. I think it's like how you manage to go to the destination whether walking or running, always asking yourself if you enjoy the journey? Are you enjoying the whole step? It's important to enjoy the whole process, not the destination. I believe humans are not creatures of destinations. It is the journey that shapes us. And all of us shape our destiny by what we choose to be.

How did you develop into the artist you are today? 

For me, it takes a commitment to have fun in everything and always have self-discipline. One of the things that help me is to think back to the beginning, when you are burned out, and rediscover why you started it back when you loved it so much. I love to be in the process and always work, never finished nor perfect. I was in the state of still, flowing like water, ready to respond like a hurricane and passion ablaze.
I always experienced high threats because I was a quiet person. My parents cared about me so much that they asked for doctors' advice about me, as I couldn't speak and thought I was deaf. I believe you are in a state of genius if you're constantly coming up with great ideas, and you can masterfully apply those ideas with your craft. Of course, once you come up with so many good ideas, you'll have to work hard prioritizing which ideas to work on and why. But ideas are the beginning, and you must put in the work too.
Most importantly, I think all of us have a genius level of talent. You just need to have the validation on those things, and it can be as a lawyer, artist, designer, start-up founder, or freelancer. You need to believe that you're the ones and have a self-disciple no matter what you do.

You work with various mediums, such as illustrations, drawings, screen prints, ads, and photography. What is your preferred medium of choice? 

And which one would you like to use or experiment with more?

I don't limit myself to work in one particular field, but I prefer to seek a combination of the work and unique outcomes. Different processes of thinking and different perspectives in problem-solving scenarios are the keys to delivering creative ideas. I want to share my point of view, and I love to listen and talk to people in different fields. It brings unique outcomes and teaches to see different perspectives like architecture, graphic design, interior design, and fashion design.
Currently, I would like to experiment with illustrations and photos, finding the dots to connect through the different processes of working and findings a way to connect them, and I was always motivated by a relentless curiosity to learn new skills and techniques.

Where do you find inspiration for your artworks? Do you have any artist or movement you admire, or is your inspiration more organic, coming from everyday life?

I love to analyze, think and always ask about our surroundings, and learn how to emphasize what is beautiful and why certain things appeal more than others do. I'm comfortable with imperfection and have always honed myself to get better. 

What are your preferred themes? Do you tend to gravitate around certain themes or concepts, or are you open to addressing different ideas? 

I am open to addressing different ideas and focusing on figuring out what makes me different and then translating it uniquely through my work. 

We are witnessing major changes in the approach we have collectively to digital technologies. Some things that were mere dreams are coming into reality, like the so-called Metaverse. What do you think of these changes? And how do you think they will influence the art world? 

It will change a lot when AI is replaced, but I think humans are more complex creatures that can uniquely create art. From my point of view, I think the Metaverse proves that capital is becoming more and more profound to people. It controls the ambition of Internet platforms to strengthen the monopoly further. In the art world full of technology, the access that's given to people should be given to everyone, so we don't serve capitalism.

As an artist working with illustrations and 3D art, how important are new technologies and innovations for your work? And how do you keep up to date with the latest developments? 

I think that technology plays a significant change in many areas of our lives, including arts such as Digital art and 3D. You need to keep updating yourself all the time to find new things that can challenge you and try to find new things you're not comfortable doing and overcome them.

What are you working on right now? Do you have any new projects or series you are currently developing? 

I recently worked on illustration, graphic design, and set design.
I think you can build more diverse skills and apply them in different ways of thinking. I like developing my skills in many areas at once. If you have different skills and different notions, it's like a creative hack. You can mold it or distort it. It's necessary to keep asking yourself, what could I see? In this era, we all need to have critical thinking skills to always question everything we see.

And finally, where do you see yourself five years from now? What are your main goals for the future? 

Five years from now, I want to share my gift by helping others, and I want to provide free education for people that don't have the opportunity.
I love improving myself and learning new skills that I don't know these days, and I think it comes from me being the type of person that is not afraid to say "I don't know" or be stupid, looking innocent in front of people.